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The Lincoln Trail Workforce Development Board (LTWDB) is embarking on a comprehensive effort to address the workforce supply crisis our region faces. The factors affecting labor participation rates are varied and complex, ranging from a technical skills gap, to a lack of soft skills, to a lack of awareness as well the multitude of barriers to employment some in our communities face.

I’ve served on active duty and the Army Reserve for 42 years as an enlisted man in a wide variety of units and leadership positions. My time is almost over as I will be retired at the end of October when I reach 60.
It’s been interesting, fun, scary at times, and most of all rewarding.
My deepest regret is not taking Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) as a cadet when I was in college and becoming an officer in the U.S. Army. I feel I could have done so much more if I had.

The final push is near.
With almost three months of college football already in the books, bowl season - and the playoff - are quickly approaching for Division 1’s 120 FBS teams.
From Dec. 16 all the way Jan. 8, 40 bowl games - and 80 participating teams - will get a shot to end their season on a high shot. Out of that, four teams get a shot at the marquee matchups in college football - the College Football Playoff (CFP).

The U.S. health care system is very complex, but one thing is clear: it’s expensive. The U.S. spent $3.2 trillion dollars overall on health care in 2015, about $9,900 per person, or 17.5 percent of our gross domestic product. That’s why it’s vital that everyone understands the basics of the current law, the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA, or Obamacare) and compare it to the various healthcare bills being proposed by Congress.

Autumn is already upon us as we celebrate the return of fall colors and cooler weather. In advance of the special session, members of the Kentucky General Assembly have been busy during the interim period. Although we are not in session currently, there are many issues that face our Commonwealth that can be addressed outside of the convened legislative body including hearing from citizens across the state about issues that directly affect them.

WASHINGTON — The power of the press rests in the ability of journalists to hold government accountable, to mobilize public opinion on matters that are important to individuals, communities or the nation, and to provide necessary information of value.

Notice in those words not a mention of celebrity content, mobile devices nor “aspirational” reportage that feels good without doing any good.

Bourbon is booming, and this week we’ll see further evidence of that as Bardstown - the Bourbon Capital of the World - hosts the Kentucky Bourbon Festival. In 2016, 53,000 people from 44 states as well as the District of Columbia and 14 different countries attended the festival, and we are looking forward to an even more successful 2017 festival.